Moldova
DIRECTION OF THE MWB MINISTRY IN MOLDOVA
Moldova is rich in agricultural land. However, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country has been cut off from the resources it received when it was under communist rule. Hence, Moldova is denied the very items needed for its agricultural livelihood such as fuel and machinery. This last summer (2007) was the driest in living memory and very few crops were harvested. Today the land is severely underdeveloped, and many of its people are unemployed. MWB has initiated vocational/educational programs as well as courses on human development which aims to help re-integrate the people into the work force and improve their chances of eventual employment.
The long winters compound and very often cause the deaths of many heart disease patients; a simple virus or flu causes hundreds of thousands to develop pneumonia and many of them, the poorest ones, even tuberculosis. The low temperatures cause death from hypothermia in areas where people are too poor to afford wood or coal for heating.
When communism fell in the Soviet Union, the entire world seemed to rejoice. The logic behind the celebration: Now each individual country could benefit from the freedom of democracy. But in some ways many of the directors and staff of Moldovan orphanages lament the loss of communism, and look back to its reign with a certain element of nostalgia. During the communist era, orphanages were well funded. Now, they are hard pressed to pay for electricity.
Currently, the government of Moldova cannot afford to fund its orphanages. Without assistance, the orphanages cannot pay for basic needs such as electricity, water and coal for heat. Some orphanages are fortunate enough to receive just enough money to purchase a meager supply of food, often barely enough to sustain the lives of the children.
Other orphanages that do not receive even this small amount of funding must make their purchases on credit. Some of the dairy farms, electric companies and other utility companies offer credit for months at a time; simply hoping one day the economy will improve enough that they might receive at least some form of payment. Inflation and taxation are not figured into most of the credit debt; most companies would be more than happy just to receive payment for the original bill of sale.
MWB continues to work in co-operation with the Moldovan government to improve the life of many Moldovans of all ages. The work with institutionalised children has grown to include Summer Camps, Dreambus Trips, Vocational and Educational training, teaching life skills, emotional support and much much more. As most children in orphanages have been abandoned there through poverty, we have developed our Family to Family sponsorship programme. This helps impoverished families to become self-sufficient and the family is able to stay together. We have opened three community centres to feed the hungry and educate the unemployed.
MWB helps the institutions with food, hygiene items, clothing and medicines. The children also receive Bibles and Christian books and receive spiritual comfort from our teams who visit the homes regularly.
